Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on two new homes

Golden shovels pierced the ground for the first time Thursday on a lot in Fairfield destined for two new homes.

Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity is adding to the 13 homes its already built for local families in Solano County with No. 14 and No. 15 to face Missouri Street at the corner of Taylor Street.

"There is really so much hope and so much excitement," said Ann Cousineau, president of the board of directors for Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity. "The families will move out of cramped and substandard living conditions to a home with more stability."

During a ground breaking ceremony Thursday morning, several people gathered to see the renderings of what the finished product will look like.

Cousineau said they've also done quite a few rehabilitations in Napa County and are looking quite aggressively at different sites for new homes in both counties.

For 23 years Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity Habitat's mission has been to build and renovate homes in partnership with working families, fixed-income seniors and volunteers because it has been proven home ownership strengthens families and communities.

Nancy Nelson, secretary with Habitat for Humanity and architect with OAG Architects in Benicia, designed the new homes.

"I wanted them to contextually blend with the existing homes," she said. "They are substantially similar and will be an amenity to the neighborhood."

"We make a real effort for them to be appropriate with the rest of the neighborhood," she added.

Nelson said seeing the families move into the homes she designed is "extraordinary."

"It always exceeds what we expect," she said. "It changes people's lives to move to a place where they can thrive."

She explained that a stable living environment helps with work success, school success and even health.

"Nobody should live in substandard housing," she said. "This will lift the community."

Nelson said the volunteers that work on the house also get so much more than they put into it.

Kevin Berryhill, a director on the habitat board and assistant director of Public Works/City Engineer in Fairfield, said this will be the first project with Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity that he'll get to see from the ground up since he's only served on the board for nine months.

"It's pretty emotional," he said. "I'm excited to be a part of it. A lot has happened in the last nine months."

He added that there has been a lot of momentum in Solano County that he hopes to carry over into Napa County.

Cousineau explained that the parcel on the corner of Missouri and Taylor streets was bought in 2001 using a community development block grant and will be divided for three houses. The portion of property for the third house was sold to raise money for the other two homes. A different contractor, Steve Hanley Construction, will build the third home at market rate and also provided technical advice for the Habitat project.

The two Habitat homes will be 1,228 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Once families are chosen to occupy the homes, they'll put at least 500 hours of sweat equity into the homes before they're completed in June 2015. The families also will have a 30-year, zero interest loan. Cousineau said families will be chosen in an application process and will likely be chosen by the end of the summer. Construction on the homes is set to begin in July.

Habitat is financed completely by donations and grants from individuals, corporations, foundations, and religious organizations. Local and state governments also help by providing grants for land purchases and mortgage assistance thus allowing Habitat to build simple, decent homes at affordable prices. The organization is able build homes at significantly lower costs by using volunteers for much of the construction and with donations from local businesses of lumber, sheetrock, roofing, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and kitchen and bath cabinets, sinks and tubs.

Call Diane Agnone at 422-1948 to make a donation. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up on line at www.solanonapahabitat.org.